Thanks to its high standards and high-quality service, Çelebi, global player of Turkish civil aviation, continues to be identified with its tradition of “perfection” in international arena.

ÇHS won ISAGO (International Air Transport Association Safety Audit for Ground Operations) certification, the biggest accolade an airport ground handler can win, following the successful completion of recent comprehensive audits in its Ankara and Kayseri stations with ‘zero finding and zero observation marks’. ÇHS is the leader ground handler in Turkey and takes the third place globally with its General Directorate and 13 stations which have ISAGO certification in Turkey and abroad; Ankara, Adana, Antalya, Bodrum, Dalaman, İzmir, Kayseri, Samsun, Trabzon, İstanbul Atatürk, and İstanbul Sabiha Gökçen airports, and its affiliates abroad, namely Budapest airport in Hungary, and Vienna airport in Austria. And ÇHS’s Diyarbakır and Van stations and its affiliates in Delhi and Mumbai airports in India, are getting ready to be listed on the ISAGO registry.

Attracting attention to importance of the civil aviation sector which transports goods worth in excess of $6.4 trillion, approximately 35% of the world trade and %3,5 of the global economy, ÇHS Director General Koray Özbay said, “airlines carry around three billion passengers, nearly half of the world population, every year. The civil aviation sector bearing such value in every respect requires high service standards as well as high technology. Having 55 years of experience, Çelebi’s high standards, high quality services, and perfectionist approach are acknowledged globally with the ISAGO audits.”

Çelebi Hava Servisi A.Ş. (CHS) Kayseri station won ISAGO certification following audits on 8-9-10 October, and Ankara station on 5-6-7 December. The audit in Kayseri which was conducted by AEGEAN Airlines, and the audit in Ankara which was conducted by Azerbaijan Airlines teams both confirmed our tradition of “perfection”. Both Kayseri and Ankara stations won certification with “zero finding – zero observation mark” following an audit covering a 402-question check-list that lasted three-days in an interval of one month. Successfully accomplishing all initial and renewal ISAGO audits, Kayseri and Ankara stations continued our tradition of “zero finding – zero observation marks”. The Air France auditors, known as the toughest team of ISAGO, had earlier stated that they had their first “zero finding – zero observation mark” experience with ÇHS during a renewal audit in İzmir station.

Çelebi Hava Servisi Director General Koray Özbay commented on their “zero finding” record with ISAGO. “If we look at the situation of the aviation sector in the world, we see that 3,5% of the global economy is based on aviation. The aviation sector which directly becomes a source of income for 57 million families carries around three billion passengers, nearly half of the world population. In 2012, 42.6% of the world population, which is accepted to consist of 7.046 billion people, - that is, three billion people – used airlines. The air transportation that will drop carbon emission 50% in 2050 compared to 2005, is the ‘most reliable transportation platform’ with an accident rate of one per five million flights, including domestic lines. And the air cargo transports goods worth in excess of $6.4 trillion, approximately 35% of the world trade and %3,5 of the global economy,” said Özbay, emphasising the importance and dimensions of the aviation sector.

Drawing attention to the fact that Çelebi is the first private company in ground handling sector in Turkey, Özbay said, “Adopting a ‘perfectionist’ approach for 55 years, Çelebi offers services at global standards with its rooted experience, high technology, and qualified workforce. Taking its place among most important brands in its field in global arena, Çelebi’s high standards and high quality service are appreciated and demanded all over the world as well as with Turkey. Our service quality is confirmed by both awards, and letters, thank you notes and letters of appreciation from our customers. Yet, the most tangible indicator of high standards and high quality is the ISAGO audits. So far, we have successfully completed a total of 18 ISAGO initial and renewal audits in our Head Office and 13 stations with ‘zero’ finding – ‘zero’ observation marks. As the Çelebi, we had a very important, record-breaking success in ISAGO audits with a 402-item checklist.” Özbay thanked to all members of the Çelebi Family who created and maintained this tradition of perfection.

ÇHS, the first ISAGO certified institution in Turkey

Regardless of a 28 September 2010 circular issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation which obliged “IATA’s international ISAGO audits for airports with a passenger capacity over one million, Çelebi, deeply-rooted and pioneer institution of civil aviation in Turkey and ‘global player’ of international arena, initiated its efforts seven months before on March 2010.

Designing its ISO 9001, OHSAS 18001 and ISO 14001 Integrated Management Systems in this direction as of 2007, Çelebi successfully completed its first ISAGO audit, which was the Çelebi Hava Servisi Head Office Institutional Audit, conducted on 10-14 August 2010. Following a successfully completed audit in ÇHS Istanbul Station at Atatürk Airport on 21 November 2010 with “zero finding – zero observation” marks, which resulted in obtaining ISAGO registry, Çelebi Hava Servisi became “the first Turkish ground handler which received ISAGO certification in Turkey”.

Along with the Head Office, ÇHS’s stations in Adana, Ankara, Antalya, Bodrum, Dalaman, İzmir, Kayseri, Samsun, Trabzon, Istanbul Atatürk and Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen airports in Turkey and its affiliates in Budapest airport in Hungary and Vienna airport in Austria have ISAGO certification. ÇHS is the leader ground handler in Turkey and takes the third place globally with its General Directorate and 13 stations in Turkey and abroad which all have ISAGO certification. And ÇHS’s Diyarbakır and Van stations are getting ready to be listed on the ISAGO registry in 2014. Çelebi’s Delhi and Mumbai stations in India will be audited in 2013. An ISAGO renewal audit will be conducted in ÇHS’s stations in Istanbul Atatürk, Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen, Adana and Trabzon airports in 2014. The other two ground handling firms in Turkey each have ISAGO registry in five airports.

ISAGO (IATA Safety Audit for Ground Operations)

ISAGO (IATA Safety Audit for Ground Operations emerged following IATA’s Ground Damage Prevention Program, which was begun in 2005 with a goal of halving the annual cost of ground damage — estimated at approximately $4 billion – in the world.

The IATA Safety Audit for Ground Operations (ISAGO) is a tool developed by IATA for controlling and improving operational safety of ground handlers in coordination with air carriers, ground handlers, civil aviation authorities, airport operators and other aviation sector institutions in order to prevent safety violations and ground accidents.

ISAGO program is an audit system conducted in a standardized and consistent manner for ground handlers, using internationally recognized quality auditing principles. The ISAGO audit system consists of a 402-item checklist. IATA Safety Audit for Ground Operations (ISAGO) aims to eliminate redundant audits which ground handlers are subject to by airlines. Along with elimination of redundant audits, ISAGO also aims to improve operational safety in aviation, and reduce accidents and incidents on airport ramps to minimum. So far, ISAGO has awarded a total of 240 certifications worldwide.

IATA (International Air Transport Association)

Founded in 1945 and having over 270 aviation company members from 140 countries, including the ÇHS, IATA represents nearly 93% of international scheduled traffic.